Interview With PatrickDevaney From The TVSeries "Zombie Hunters:City of The Dead"

By AL J. Vermette

He is the man behind TV'svery first zombie series, a showthat not only he created, writes for and directors but also stars in as well. He is Patrick Devaney from "Zombie Hunters: City of The Dead", a series that explores what would really happen in a zombie apocalypse in New York City. Unlike other shows and films on the subject, Devaney takes us to the beginning of a zombie outbreak and not after the fact...midway in (Walking Dead, 28 Days Later) but what it would be like if all of a sudden the dead began to walk the streets and how we as people would react to it. With each episode you see how things get more, and more crazy as the dead slowly rise in numbers and feed on the living. To combat this zombie menace is Patrick Devaney and his team of Zombie Hunters, who fight the legion of undead monsters and keep them in check. A few years ago, I met Patrick and the Hunters at The Chiller Theater convention in New Jersey and since then, Pat and his men have been to our Halloween "Blood Fest" shows and "Institute of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction" events. I myself have even been on his set and been one of his undead legions in full zombie make-up. Some time back in BMR Issue #37, I talked with Pat about this zombie series in an interview. Now for our 12th Anniversary issue we pick up a few years later and find out what's going on with Pat, his cast and his wonderful series.

AL: Please tell our readers a little about the back story of "Zombie Hunter's City of The Dead"?Patrick: “Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead” came about when we realized that we’d love to see a Zombie-based TV show, but none existed. We wanted to show what we really thought it would be like if the traditional Zombie story actually happened in NYC today, add our own spin on it, and make it the best thing ever seen on public access. I believe we’ve succeeded in that.

At the time, marketing the concept seemed questionable: we never thought it would go past just being a public access horror show. I always knew it was good enough to be more, but none of us expected the huge boom in Zombie stuff all over the media, let alone having direct cable competition from AMC in 2010. But through it all, we’re still going!

The main storyline follows the lives of Billy Cassidy, Paul Michael Bates, John Salazar, and Carrie Walker, regular people living regular lives, as they try and survive in a world that’s officially fine, but is slowly turning inside-out as the dead begin to come back and attack the living.

AL: When did you first start shooting the series?Patrick: We started writing the scripts in very early 2006. I’d already been making outlines of what I wanted in 2005, but the first scenes were shot in Spring and Summer of 2006.

AL: Of the 8 episodes shot and finished, which ones were the most fun, hardest and craziest to film?Patrick: So far, Episode 7 was the hardest and craziest: 118 people involved, multiple locations, dodging snowstorms and losing locations before filming was complete, having to find matching locations and funding to complete… it was a true test of our ability to produce a TV show. But in the fifteen months it took to make, it stands out as the one we all became veterans on. And I love it.

The most fun, I think, was probably the scenes we recently filmed in May 2012, the openers for our second season. There were SO many people involved, and at certain points we pulled off massive Zombie scenes, so involved and choreographed between camera and SFX and aerial shots, that I turned to my crew and said “I now know what Romero himself felt on the set of Dawn.”

These latest episodes are also so much fun because they feature new Hunter Carmela Hayslett, who is known to most people out there as Roxsy Tyler of “Roxsy Tyler’s Carnival of Horrors”. She will be appearing in several second season episodes, and we are thrilled to have her on board. Plus, guest Zombies this time around include Mike Schneider (the man behind “Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated”), Ken Smith (of the “Loud Idiots” radio show), Lisa Foederer (drummer for the band “Blue Movie”), and veteran actor Bob Socci, who I’ve been wanting to work with for years.

AL: How has the production changed since the early episodes to the most recent episodes (Still in Production as of this issue) #9 and #10? Patrick: When we started, the first scenes ever done were with a pair of $300 Sony palmcorders. (Director of Photography) Mark Boutros brought us into the world of 3-chip cameras, off-camera sound, and professional lighting. But even with these advances, the entire First Season was shot in SD.

After much convincing from both Mark and Manny Serrano (Camera Two for ZH and one-half of Mass Grave Pictures), in addition to an impromptu clinic I got from Christian Grillo (of Potent Media), I made the decision that everything we’d shoot going forward would be in HD, on DSLR cameras that would allow us to use lenses that before this time were unavailable to us. The result so far has been amazing, just going to show that there’s always room for improvement if you allow it.

AL: On each of the shoots that I attended, your zombie actors look better and better. Could you please tell our readers the names of the make-up artists who bring your undead to life for the cameras?Patrick: I would be glad to, as the other component of how things have changed have to do directly with what our SFX team brings to the table. I’d like to mention first Lindsay Serrano (the OTHER half of MGP), who made so many of the memorable Zombies from last season. Lindsay works mostly with me as Assistant Director and Script Supervisor these days. She excels at both jobs, but I selfishly took her away from makeup so I can use her talents to keep me on track. Janine Maloney (JanineMaloney.Com), who first helped us on the aforementioned Episode 7, is currently our second-in-command of SFX.

In addition to makeup newcomer Catherine Monzon, we have most recently been working with Gene Mazza and Andrea Michelle, the talented team from DecayNY Entertainment (www.facebook.com/pages/DecayNY-Entertainment/187314921319322), who helped us with blood effects and brought us a wonderful lifecast; and artists Betty Vasso, Cat Martin (www.catmartinmakeup.com ), and Ali Veroba (ali.town6.com) helped turn friends, family, and fans into the undead! The new infusion of artistry is such a great thing for us as a production crew, and their beautiful work is clearly displayed in the latest two episodes.

But as always since the pilot episode, at the helm of it all is our original makeup director, Michael Scardillo, who is currently working with us through his new company SCAR SFX (www.facebook.com/pages/Scarsfx/177910165637668). The prosthetic effects you’ll see are his creations, as are the impact effects and all the mechanical devices that make us look like we’re out there really slaying Zombies. He’s been tireless at getting it all together, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this new season.

AL: You have so...so many zombies in your production, where do you find all these people to play them?Patrick: We get Zombies from all over. Sometimes, we’re restricted at small locations to only bring people we personally know well or have worked with before. Sometimes, it’s a free-for-all. Usually, we will pick aspiring actors we know, add in friends and family who have asked to be a part in the show, and then we go to the mailing lists of people we meet at conventions. To date, we’ve had several Zombies come to us off the lists, and it’s always been a great experience with all of them.

AL: Your hunters are well suited for their tasks of killing zombies, what is your training set up for getting the actors ready to fight the undead?Patrick: Many of our “Hunters” have had real-life training: Christopher Murphy is a martial arts instructor, (writer/producer) Paul Pinsdorf has also earned his black belt, Teri Hansen has years of kickboxing experience, Rick Martinez is a national paintball champion and excellent marksman, and my wife, Executive Producer Jeanna Alvarez-Devaney, and I have six years each of weapons training and martial arts under our belts. In other words, we know how to handle ourselves.

Between us all, we can quickly train extras and new hunters in the proper ways to handle weapons, how to move, and how to do all these things safely.

AL: Among the human cast of actors, one of the hunters always stands out as the bad ass of all zombie hunters. Please tell us a little about Christopher Murphy and how he joined the cast?Patrick: Chris Murphy didn’t join, he was drafted! He and I have been friends since we were both seven years old, and the role of “Bates” was written specifically for him to play. He takes some solace in that he never had a choice. He had to be a part of this.

But yeah, Bates is the one Hunter who seems very much accepting of this new world. As mentioned above, given his real-life abilities, Murph is the perfect person to play him. It’s sometimes hard to see where the actor and the character blend, and where they’re different. I think that’s why he’s one of the more popular people on the show. It always seems real with him.

AL: So 8 episodes shot and one in the making (as of this issue) and counting. So where will Zombie Hunters go in the shows ahead?Patrick: The series has already been written, we know how it started, we know who lives, who dies, and the ultimate question: what is making the dead come back to life? Everything will be explored and explained by the last episode!

In that time, the Hunters will regroup, try to survive, and meet up with some of the worst people the world has to offer. All the time trying to retain their own humanity. They’ll even run into some people they’ve encountered in the past… you’re all just going to have to keep watching to see!

AL: I love all the shows locations that you use. How do you get such wonderful locations on which to shoot?Patrick: We are lucky, blessed, and appreciative for all the locations we’ve had the great fortune to work in. From creepy medical facilities in Brooklyn, to Manhattan brownstones, to Queens shopping malls, to giant production facilities on Long Island, we’ve populated all of them with the undead. Mostly, it’s through mutual friends and sympathetic horror fans who allow us to set up shop with them. Hunter Rick Martinez has always opened the doors of his company Newton Collission for us to work in. And recently, we had the great fortune of working at Metro Interior Distributors again, through our location manager Tom Schorr. This location is so rich in both size and looks, we’ve been able to re-use it several times and never show the same place twice! Tom also brought us to helicopter camera pilot Ryan Dolan, who’s work is seen in the new episodes.

AL: Will "Zombie Hunter's City of The Dead" come to an ending episode or are you planning to run it as long as you can?Patrick: Yes. It will end. And all will be revealed! The series is slated for eight new episodes (making sixteen in total).

AL: When it does all come to an end....what project do you see yourself replacing it with......and will it be in the horror genre?Patrick: We’re already working to get a few different projects funded and produced. Scripts are finished and ready to go. And although some of them have horror elements, we are rapidly moving into the worlds of sci-fi and dark fantasy… much less “Zombie Hunters”, much more “Pan’s Labyrinth”. In fact, we are currently in pre-production on a film adaptation of Caza’s “Aemorraghe”, taken from the pages of Heavy Metal magazine, which is scheduled to be filmed in October and November of this year.

In addition, I do have my take on vampires coming up as soon as we find the right town to film in, an upcoming Sci-Fi feature-length thriller, and one traditional monster movie that could happen in less than a year! And I promise everyone reading, no CGI monsters in that one; its all puppets and people and animatronics and its an entirely different kind of monster and... well,,, you guys will see.

AL: For all our readers, where can they find "Zombie Hunter's City; of The Dead" on DVD, TV and other sources for viewing?Patrick: There are more options than ever. We’re on 40 different stations in 15 states, but if we’re not on where you live, DVD’s of the first season can be found at FYE, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and online at Amazon.Com and our main website (www.zombiehuntershow.com)! And as always, you can get them from us directly at Monster Mania and Chiller Theatre, where we’ll be happy to write our names on them for you, too!

For interview with Patrick Devaney of Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead, click here